East Rockaway, Lynbrook school districts ready for 2017-18 budget hearings

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Paul Lynch, the assistant superintendent for finance, operations, and information systems for Lynbrook Schools, said the 2017-18 budget will eclipse $82 million.
Paul Lynch, the assistant superintendent for finance, operations, and information systems for Lynbrook Schools, said the 2017-18 budget will eclipse $82 million.
Mike Smollins/Herald

The Board of Education for the East Rockaway School District voted to adopt a $38,274,432 budget for the 2017-18 school year during its April 20 meeting at East Rockaway Junior-Senior High School.

“We’ve decreased it by $161,849,000” said Jacqueline Scrio, the district’s assistant superintendent for finance and operations, about next year’s budget compared to this year. “That decrease came from some recent retirements, the final payment of an old bond that we had approved many years ago … and basically tightening up and realigning some of our expenditures.”

Though the budget decreased from the 2016-17 school year, there is a .88 percent increase to the tax levy. Scrio explained that the increase is due to the district relying less on its reserves to bridge the gap between the revenue it receives from state aid and taxes and its expenditures.

According to Scrio, a financial crisis in 2008 caused the district to heavily rely on the reserves rather than having to cut programs, due to a decrease in state aid,

“Right now the district is in financially strong condition,” she said, “and it’s time for us to work our way off of the use of reserves, which you could think of like a savings account. Times are good as far as the district is concerned. We’ve been able to reduce some of our costs, so now is the time to reduce our dependency on the reserves and to keep that money there in case God forbid we should hit another financial crisis.”

A budget hearing is scheduled for May 9 at 7 p.m. at East Rockaway Junior-Senior High School. The budget vote is scheduled for May 16 at the high school from 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

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Lynbrook school budget hearing set for May 3

After the Lynbrook Schools Board of Education adopted its $82,486,886 budget at its March meeting, it is now preparing for a budget hearing on May 3.

The 2017-18 budget is an increase of more than $1.6 million from the previous school year.

Paul Lynch, the district’s assistant superintendent for finance, operations, and information systems, said in February that the increase is due to contractual obligations and new positions. Increases in salaries account for more than $780,000 of the difference, and benefits account for more than $286,000 due to a 12 percent increase in health care costs.

Under the budget, students in ninth and 10th grades would also be able to participate in the school district’s One-to-World Initiative, in which students are given a tablet in September that has to be returned to the district in June.

Lynch noted that there is a tax levy increase of 1.53 percent — the maximum allowable cap — for the district.

Though the Board of Education is also hoping to pass a $28.9 million bond — a vote for which is scheduled for October — Lynch recently expressed optimism that the budget will pass.

“I think our folks are very good as far as seeing the difference between that,” he said. “This budget stays within the cap and I think people are highly appreciative of that. I think they’re separate issues and I think most of the community thinks that, too.”

The budget hearing is scheduled for May 3 at 7:30 p.m. at Lynbrook High School. The vote is scheduled for May 16 from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the high school.

Melissa Koenig contributed to this story.